Ilaet Pearlspine stepped out into the narrow street and strained to close the heavy metal door behind him. The lock to his home caught with a sharp pop and as he turned to go a gust blew the hood from his head. Ilaet pulled it back over and bowed into the stiff wind trudging towards the meeting place.

Quote:

When the Dark Elves were driven from the Elven homeland of Ulthuan following a cataclysmic civil war, they fled northwards to the dark and forbidding lands of Naggaroth, "the Land of Chill". The name is an appropriate one, for the unwelcoming home of the Dark Elves is a harsh wilderness of frozen tundra.

Ilaet’s footsteps echoed against the buildings as he traversed along the roughly carved paths. Above, a full moon struggled through the overcast sky to shone a faint light upon this dreary city of Har Ganeth. He turned the final corner entering an open common area broken only by the stones walls of a large well. Against one of the beams to it’s roof - long ago scoured free of shingles by the relentless wind - leaned Hivoneor Nightseer.

Quote:

The Dark Elven cities have innumerable black towers rising like pinnacles of ice from the cold, hard rock of Naggaroth. Due to the harsh and unforgiving nature of Naggaroth, they are some of the densest population centers in the world. All of these cities are dark and evil places. Their black dungeons are crammed with those captured by the armies of the Druchii. The wailings of captives fill the air and their moans seep through the thick walls of the high towers, saturating the place with pain, despair and the souls of the dying.

Hivoneneor straightened himself with no change in his blank expression upon seeing his old comrade. The two greeted one another with a quick handshake for which Hivoneneor did not remove his thick leather glove.

“Best not to stand too close in this wind,” Ilaet motioned towards the dark opening to the ancient well. His attempt at humor was apparently lost on his old friend who only nodded and grunted an affirmation.

Quote:

Druchii armies consist of spear phalanxes and repeater crossbow regiments which are supported by shock infantry such as Executioners, who wield two meter long beheading blades called Draich, heavily armed Corsair raiders, or scores of Witch Elves that are drugged up into a killing frenzy. The most elite fighters are chosen to join the fanatic bodyguard of the king, the infamous Black Guard.

“Come, let us get heading towards the coliseum,” Hivoneneor pointed towards one of the many dark passages that led back into the heart of the city. “The match will be starting shortly and I’ve procured some seats right against the pitch.”

“Match? So tonight’s entertainment is some form of sport,” Ilaet questioned?

Quote:

The nobles of the Druchii ride into battle atop ancient reptiles known as Cold Ones. Very few Dark Elves can take up the arms of the Cold One Knights, for the lizards savagely attack all who come near them, recognizing warm-blooded creatures by their smell.

“Bloodbowl,” Hivoneneor replied dryly. “I’m do believe the game is beginning to grow on me – much more entertaining and varied than the tired historical reenactments.” He held out a pair of paper tickets for Ilaet to inspect.

“Box seats, too! It appears that being a Knight does have its advantages…” Ilaet’s voice trailed off before he said anything else to make the conversation turn to topics that might make the evening take an awkward turn.

Quote:

To avoid this, the Cold One Knights anoint themselves with the poisonous slime of the Cold Ones so the beasts will accept them. There is a great price to pay though, for the poison numbs the senses in such a way that the riders can no longer taste food or feel a touch. But it is a price worth paying, for the charge of the Cold One cavalry can shatter even the strongest enemy line.

The pair took their seats in a section right up against the field cordoned off from the open seating by a low stone wall and exchanged greetings with the dozen or so other nobles sitting with them. Ilaet hoisted a tankard of “gnok,” a frothy brownish alcohol made from bitter roots, and wiped the foam from his lips. He failed to notice the sideways glances from those around him as he enjoyed this ‘commoners’ drink. “So, tell me more about this event we will be watching.”

“Tonight should be particularly enjoyable,” Hivoneneor replied with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. “A team of humans will be playing for its ‘freedom’ against another comprised of our own fighters… Witch Elves included!” He nudged Ileat in the ribs twice with his elbow and nodded.

Ilaet raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Dark Elves playing sport? Let the show begin!”

Quote:

Before these fearsome armies rides a standard bearer, a Dark Elf champion, who has proved his skill and ability in combat. The army standard displays twisted symbols, corrupted versions of High Elf runes Thalui, Elthrai, Oriour and Urithair – signifying hatred, doom, blood and destruction. Terrifyingly, any blood spattered upon this banner is absorbed and disappears without a trace… as if the banner itself were drinking the blood of the sacrifices made to it.

As the humans worked the action towards the sideline in an effort to advance the ball up the pitch, the play stalled and bunched up. A human lineman engaged by a blitzer was suddenly blindsided by a Witch Elf and sent reeling over the wall into the stands – landing in the laps of the noblemen. A most vicious display ensued and the kicking stopped only when the sound of a snapping spine was heard as Hivoneneor pinned the man’s head between his boot and the wall.

Hivoneneor and Ilaet turned to one another and let out a hearty laugh. It was the 1st time Ilaet had heard his old friend do so in a very long time. He leaned over and shouted in Hivoneneor’s ear to be heard above the roaring crowd, “I do find this enjoyable. I hope more Dark Elf teams will choose to take the pitch!”

Just a tad over 3 days until the kickoff of Season XII. Revisiting the special challenges for Dark Elves is generating a buzz and this may be the most anticipated E.L.F. season since the league kicked off! Don't get left out in the cold - sign up today!!!

52 active teams after the 1st week of play in Season XII with 25 of them Dark Elves – by far the best start I’ve seen during my tenure as league commissioner!

Woodburns E.L.F jumps out to the very early lead with a score of 260. 3 other teams already with scores in the 200’s and 8 more with scores past the century mark.

One cycle completed already! Congrats to Wonderful Whiteisle Wockers, Wood Elves, who managed to get in a full set of 10 matches in the 1st week of play.

4 of the 5 categories in the hands of Wood Elves here at the start. Only Dark Spyre Drakes breaks up the party holding Category B for the Dark Elves.

Overall (Team Name – Race, Total):

Woodburns E.L.F - Wood, 260

Ying Yang Girls - Wood, 222

Vailwynds Masters - High, 216

Wonderful Whiteisle Wockers* - Wood, 201

Dark Spyre Drakes - Dark, 178

Druuchi Darkies - Dark, 151

Eataine Sea Guard - High, 137

Evading Death - Dark, 137

Killing With Cuteness - Dark, 117

Final Pack - Dark, 114

Sith Lords and Ladies - Dark, 114

KB - Pro, 104

Har Graneth Harrowers - Dark, 83

Stabbing for Fun and Profit - Dark, 80

Champions of Nature - Wood, 79

Plorg's Elves - Dark, 76

Wanderers of the White Isle - Dark, 72

Woodelf Doubleskulls - Wood, 72

Forest Fools - Wood, 65

Final Round - Dark, 53

A Little Gaulish Village - Pro, 52

Evolve to Learned Flawlessness - High, 48

Pro Elf and I Vote! - Pro, 46

Shadow Guards - Dark, 44

Fairy Hercynia - Wood, 39

Cardiff Knights Out - Dark, 34

Tropical Depression - High, 31

Subtle Glory - Pro, 30

Microchoir - High, 28

ChanElf No.1 - Pro, 27

Hollywood Hotties - Dark, 26

Sims - Pro, 23

Woodland Fawns - Wood, 22

Müchener Senioren Convent - High, 19

Bloodflower - Wood, 14

Conquests by the Broken Sword - Dark, 14

Camelot Nights - Dark, 10

Black Ark - Wind of Damnation - Dark, 0

Blue Extremities - Dark, 0

Capital Punishment Methods - Dark, 0

Craig Daemons - Dark, 0

Deviant Beauty - Dark, 0

Ebony Dragoons - Dark, 0

Emerald Glade Riders - Wood, 0

Golden Goddesses - High, 0

Hood Brood - Dark, 0

Memorium - Wood, 0

Ninja Rap - Wood, 0

Rank Darkness - Dark, 0

Soul Caliburs - High, 0

Wicked Ladies - High, 0

Wrestling Villains - Dark, 0

Categories:

Ying Yang Girls - Wood, 146

Dark Spyre Drakes - Dark, 64

Ying Yang Girls - Wood, 44

Wonderful Whiteisle Wockers* - Wood, 37

Woodburns E.L.F - Wood, 77

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) the standing are as follows:

Oriour

Evading Death - 30

Plorg's Elves - 28

Final Pack - 24

Har Graneth Harrowers - 20

Wanderers of the White Isle - 20

Killing With Cuteness - 18

Final Round - 14

Dark Spyre Drakes - 8

Sith Lords and Ladies - 8

Conquests by the Broken Sword - 6

Druuchi Darkies - 4

Shadow Guards - 4

Cardiff Knights Out - 4

Hollywood Hotties - 2

Stabbing for Fun and Profit - 2

Camelot Nights - 2

Black Ark - Wind of Damnation - 0

Blue Extremities - 0

Capital Punishment Methods - 0

Craig Daemons - 0

Deviant Beauty - 0

Ebony Dragoons - 0

Hood Brood - 0

Rank Darkness - 0

Wrestling Villains - 0

It’s not too late! Still lots and lots of time to get your team involved. Go to the group page to join then get listed in the scoring thread and start playing. Get your Dark Elf team in on the fun!

Please Note: This week’s report was compiled with the use of Rijssiej’s new E.L.F. Java program – a very cool tool that allows the staff to push a button and see the complete standings! Our ultimate hope is that no one will need to update posts in a scoring thread any longer – you simply join, play your matches and check in to see the standings as they are updated. But in the meantime, please check what you have listed vs. what the program is calculating for discrepancies.

A couple of points: The program searches through your match records and reports all the games it can find, so if you haven’t reported a “bad” match your scoring post may be off. Also, to get the EMU and tourney bonuses, you must type exactly “ELF vs. EMU” or “ELF in tourney” at the top of your match report – if you’re not getting those points it’s because those aren’t there or say something slightly different.

Thank Rijssiej next time you see him in chat for all his work on that. Now, on to the scores…

72 active teams after the 2nd week of play in Season XII with 23 of them Dark Elves!

Ying Yang Girls takes over the early lead with a score of 403. 4 other teams already with scores in the 300’s and 7 more with scores in the 200’s.

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) the standing are as follows:

It’s not too late! Still lots and lots of time to get your team involved. Go to the group page to join then get listed in the scoring thread and start playing. Dark Elf teams encouraged to participate!

Please Note: This week’s report was compiled with the use of Rijssiej’s new E.L.F. Java program – a very cool tool that allows the staff to push a button and see the complete standings! Our ultimate hope is that no one will need to update posts in a scoring thread any longer – you simply join, play your matches and check in to see the standings as they are updated. But in the meantime, please check what you have listed vs. what the program is calculating for discrepancies.

A couple of points: The program searches through your match records and reports all the games it can find, so if you haven’t reported a “bad” match your scoring post may be off. Also, to get the EMU and tourney bonuses, you must type exactly “ELF vs. EMU” or “ELF in tourney” in your match report – if you’re not getting those points it’s because those aren’t there or say something slightly different.

Also, please don’t put beginning (html) and ending (/html) tags in your team’s bio. They are not needed and they trick the JavaELF program into thinking you haven’t played any matches!

Thank Rijssiej next time you see him in chat for all his work on that. Now, on to the scores…

78 active teams after the 3rd week of play in Season XII with 26 of them Dark Elves!

Woodburns E.L.F jumps to a narrow 9-point lead over Ying Yang Girls with both teams over the 400-point mark.. 5 other teams with scores in the 300’s and 8 more with scores in the 200’s.

Ocultis Synnopsis – dark elves - finally wrestled a category, B, away from the wood elves. Surely some other Dark Elves can rack up the casualties and grab some more!

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) Plorg's Elves hold a 16 point lead over the closest competitor, Ocultis Synnopsis. The standing are as follows:

Note: Thanks to those of you that pointed out the scoring discrepancies. A couple of minor bugs were worked out of the scoring program in the past week with the help of your due diligence. If you see something that doesn’t add up, please let me know – individual scoring can be generated to help us investigate.

82 active teams after the 4th week of play in Season XII with 30 of them Dark Elves!

Woodburns E.L.F extends its lead to 24 points over the Ying Yang Girls with both teams still the only two past the 400-point mark.. 8 other teams with scores in the 300’s and 10 more with scores in the 200’s.

Two more cycles completed! Congrats to Elf-Enders – high elves - and Pro Elf and I Vote! – pro elves - who both completed the cycle in Week 4. No Dark Elf team managed to earn their Thalui rune - signifying hatred. Let’s get bashing darkies!!!

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) Plorg's Elves have extended their lead to 22 points over the closest competitor, Har Graneth Harrowers. The standing are as follows:

It’s not too late! We are still accepting applications from fresh TR100 elf teams and there’s still lots and lots of time to get your team involved. Go to the group page to join then get listed in the scoring thread and start playing. Dark Elf teams especially encouraged to participate!

Note: If you see something that doesn’t add up, please let me know – individual scoring can be generated to help investigate and find minor bugs in the scoring program.

88 active teams after the 5th week of play in Season XII with 32 of them Dark Elves!

After 5 weeks of play, Woodburns E.L.F holds a slim 4 point lead over startrek.nl with the Ying Yang Girls just 7 more points behind 2nd place. Those 3 teams are the only ones to break 400 points. 10 other teams with scores in the 300’s and closing, 10 more with scores in the 200’s and 23 now past the century mark.

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) Plorg's Elves sees their lead shrink to 4 points over the closest competitor, City of Blinding Lights in what is shaping up to be a good race in the final month’s play. The casualties are adding up! The standings are as follows:

It’s not too late! We are still accepting applications from fresh TR100 elf teams and there’s still lots and lots of time to get your team involved. Go to the group page to join then get listed in the scoring thread and start playing. Dark Elf teams especially encouraged to participate!

In case you missed the News Item: On Sunday March 18th at 15:00 bbtime startrek.nl will play their 1000th game against Cloggy's Cheat, Creep and Foul. startrek.nl will be the first team on fumbbl to reach 1000 games and you are all invited to celebrate this great accomplishment. Rijssiej, startrek.nl's coach, has announced he will stop playing the team after they reach 1000 and give some other races a try.

startrek.nl has been one of the most successful teams in the E.L.F.’s history holding 4 overall titles and countless other honors. Let’s turn out in force and show our support!

Now, onto the scores…

Note: If you see something that doesn’t add up, please let me know – individual scoring can be generated to help investigate and find minor bugs in the scoring program.

89 active teams after the 6th week of play in Season XII with 32 of them Dark Elves! 19 cycles completed to date as well.

After 6 weeks of play, Ocultis Synnopsis has vaulted over the Wood Elf teams and into 1st place. Ying Yang Girls is the closest competitor, now 41 points behind and one of three other teams above 400 points. 13 other teams with scores in the 300’s and closing, 9 more with scores in the 200’s and 26 now past the century mark.

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) Plorg's Elves watched Ocultis Synnopsis take the slimmest of leads (2 points) in week 6 with City of Blinding Lights still close behind in what is shaping up to be a good race in the final month’s play. The casualties are adding up! The standings are as follows:

It’s not too late! We are still accepting applications from fresh TR100 elf teams and there’s still lots and lots of time to get your team involved. Go to the group page to join then get listed in the scoring thread and start playing. Dark Elf teams especially encouraged to participate!

Note: If you see something that doesn’t add up, please let me know – individual scoring can be generated to help investigate and find minor bugs in the scoring program.

91 active teams after the 7th week of play in Season XII with 32 of them Dark Elves! 19 cycles completed to date as well.

After 7 weeks of play, Ocultis Synnopsis remains in 1st place with almost no movement in the top ten scores. Ying Yang Girls is the closest competitor, still 41 points behind and one of three other teams above 400 points. 13 other teams with scores in the 300’s and closing, 12 more with scores in the 200’s and 23 now past the century mark.

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) Ocultis Synnopsis still maintains the slimmest of leads (2 points) in week 7 with City of Blinding Lights and Plorg's Elves tied right behind in what is shaping up to be a good race in the final month’s play. The casualties are adding up! The standings are as follows:

It’s not too late! We are still accepting applications from fresh TR100 elf teams and there’s still lots and lots of time to get your team involved. Go to the group page to join then get listed in the scoring thread and start playing. Dark Elf teams especially encouraged to participate!

Note: If you see something that doesn’t add up, please let me know – individual scoring can be generated to help investigate and find minor bugs in the scoring program.

90 active teams after the 8th week of play in Season XII with 32 of them Dark Elves! 20 cycles completed to date as well.

After 8 weeks of play, Ocultis Synnopsis remains in 1st place with most of the standings movement coming from the bottom half of the top ten scores. Ying Yang Girls is the closest competitor, still 41 points behind and one of three other teams above 400 points. 12 other teams with scores in the 300’s and closing, 13 more with scores in the 200’s and 23 now past the century mark.

It was pointed out to me after last week’s scores posted that Hangovers ELF’s total of 170 for Category A is a new high beating the old mark my 6 points. Congrats to Coach jimjo on making his mark on the record books! Score one for the Wood Elves!

Some changes in the Category leads in week 8 as Champions of Nature take control of Category B for the Wood Elves (and also raise the banner of the rare Faction team playing in the E.L.F.). Also, one of those minor bugs was discovered in the category standings meaning that Ocultis Synnopsis now has sole possession of Category C as the only Dark Elf team still holding on. And Pro Elves, Stony Man Doctrine and Voting is For Sissies, maintain the lead in Categories D and E respectively.

Congrats to Coach Zingr and the High Elf team Evolve to Learned Flawlessness who were the only ones to complete the Cycle in week #8! Still a little bit of time for those who haven’t finished to get it done – especially those Dark Elf teams wanting to earn their Thalui rune!

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) City of Blinding Lights has jumped out to an 8-point lead over Ocultis Synnopsis. Plorg's Elves are still in the race just 2 points out of second place. Still a little bit of time left to inflict some more pain! The standings are as follows:

Only 10 day to go but we are still accepting applications from fresh TR100 elf teams and you still have a little bit of time to get your team involved. Go to the group page to join then get listed in the scoring thread and start playing. Dark Elf teams especially encouraged to participate!

Remember: This season ends promptly at midnight (bb time) April 7th. That’s just 4 short days from now but still plenty of time to complete your cycle and make some moves up the standings! After that time I’ll post the final standings and we’ll close the book on this very successful Season XII.

92 active teams after the 9th week of play in Season XII with 32 of them Dark Elves! 23 cycles completed to date as well.

Hangovers ELF’s record total of 170 for Category A was matched this week by Woodburns E.L.F. So now two Wood Elf teams share the page in the history book! Another change in the Category leads in week 9 as Stony Man Doctrine took control of Category E and now holds two.

Congrats to Falling Forrest, Wood Elves, and Star Island Sentinels, High Elves, who both completed the cycle in week #9! Also, Northside Renagades – Dark Elves - earn their Thalui rune by completing their cycle! Still just a little bit of time for those who haven’t yet finished to get it done.

In the race for the sole Oriour - signifying blood – awarded to the Dark Elf team scoring the most casualty points in Season XII E.L.F. scored games (whether winning anything else or not) City of Blinding Lights has extended its lead to 16 points over Ocultis Synnopsis. Plorg's Elves remain in the race just 2 points out of second place. Still a little bit of time left to inflict some more pain! The standings are as follows:

Only 4 days to go but we are still accepting applications from fresh TR100 elf teams and you still have a little bit of time to get your team involved. Go to the group page to join then get listed in the scoring thread and start playing. Dark Elf teams especially encouraged to participate!